Peer and Self Assessment

Little Mermaid goes punk!
This past year has seen the rise in a new fast-evolving internet-born dance-music subgenre called “Seapunk”. Seapunk is the name of a midwestern Internet phenomenon created by a group of 20 something’s birthed out of tumblr to describe a lifestyle aesthetic. The subgenre began gaining popularity across the Internet due to the birth of Coral records founded by Fire for effect and Zombelle, who class themselves as Seapunk musicians. (http://coralrecords.bandcamp.com)
Seapunk incorporates “bits of 90s house and techno, the past 15 years or so of pop & rnb and the latest in southern trap-rap- overlaid with twinkly, narcotic energy that recalls new-age music.” Digital imagery is the main iconography of Seapunk, which mashes together cartoonish aquatic themes with 90s, computerised Internet imagery.
This piece will explore how the subgenre of Seapunk came about and how current artist like Rihanna and Azealia Banks have incorporated this imagery into their current videos/stage performances that questions whether Seapunk is entering the mainstream. Bringing to question whether mainstream artist are turning to the Internet to discover more alternative looks to try and separate themselves.

The notoriously homophobic music scene is having a change of heart.
Over the past two years there’s been a sudden change in urban music and slowly but surely it is coming full circle in hip-hop. The topic I speak of is homosexuality. On the heels of Frank Ocean addressing widespread rumours about his sexual orientation, it appears a new wave of fearless young rappers is claiming their space in the world of hip-hop. Is hip-hop the last demographic to embrace the gay culture and leaving us with the question is homophobia in hip-hop at a tipping point?
This piece will explore how acts such as Zebra Katz and Mykki Blanco have helped with the first ‘Queer rap’ crossover hits. It will demonstrate how the hip-hop genre has begun to embrace these...